Essay Topic 1

Describe and discuss the life and career of the author. What led Janet Malcolm to approach this subject and book?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the two introductions of The Journals of Sylvia Plath and analyze the introductions of each. What differences are in the work of Ted Hughes in the book?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the suicide of Sylvia Plath and its impact on Ted Hughes. What led to Hughes' separation from Plath?

Essay Topic 4

Describe and discuss the relationship between Janet Malcolm and Anne Stevenson at the University of Michigan. When did Stevenson's writing career take off?

Essay Topic 5

Discuss the coming-of-age period during the 1950s of Sylvia Plath. How did the public and critics respond to Plath's poetry? What impact did she have on women during the period in which the feminist movement began?